KLM Flight Refused Permission to Enter US Airspace

A KLM flight enroute from Amsterdam to Mexico City returned to Schiphol Airport yesterday due to the United States' refusal to allow two unidentified undesirable passengers to cross American airspace.

The plane was not scheduled to land in United States territory, and the pilots were only informed of the decision as the flight was nearing Canada. Upon return to Schiphol, the remaining 285 passengers were put on another plane to Mexico. The two passengers were not detained by Dutch authorities because they saw no reason to put them under arrest.

The unwanted passengers were not identified, and KLM officials referred all questions back to the Americans. Both sides are looking into what caused the communications breakdown prior to the flight taking off. KLM, like other foreign carriers, vets its passenger lists with security services prior to flight operations.